Durban - A Morningside mother and her two kids, 2 and 4, were involved in a hijacking on Durban's Essenwood Road on Thursday.
The mother's BMW X1 is believed to have been allegedly hijacked while they were arriving at their Morningside home.
The car was later recovered about four houses away by police. The hijackers abandoned the car and the family.
The alleged hijackers arrived at the scene in a silver grey VW Polo and were believed to be armed. Police could not immediately confirm how many hijackers were involved in the incident.
Metro Police spokesperson Senior Superintendent Parbhoo Sewpersad confirmed the incident on Thursday night. He said metro police officers who had been patrolling the area were flagged down by a sister of the hijacked mother, who alerted them of the incident.
“They drove to the house where the incident took place on Essenwood Road. While they drove to the house, they saw the hijacked BMW X1 vehicle parked on the side of the road.
“The occupants, the woman and the children, were not inside the car. At that time, the lady and the children were already inside the house, hysterical with the two kids,” said Sewpersad.
It is not known exactly why the criminals abandoned the car. Police said the area was swarming with police and private security.
Durban's Metro Police head Steve Middleton congratulated the police on Facebook on Thursday.